Side and end brake/steer mechanism for stretchers

ABSTRACT

A stretcher includes a brake mechanism and a steer mechanism operated by side actuator pedals and a brake-actuating bar and a wheel-actuating bar. The brake-actuating bar, wheel-actuating bar, and side actuator pedals are connected such that movement is coordinated.

BACKGROUND

[0001] The present invention relates to a stretcher such as a wheeledstretcher for use in a hospital, and particularly to a brake andsteering control system for such a stretcher. More particularly, thepresent invention relates to a hospital stretcher having a deployablecenter wheel to aid in steering the stretcher, and foot pedalsconfigured to operate the center wheel and a brake mechanism.

SUMMARY

[0002] Hospital care givers use hospital stretchers for transportingpatients and for positioning patients in examination, operation, orother hospital rooms. The present disclosure will be described primarilyas a hospital stretcher, but it will be understood that the same may beused in conjunction with any other patient support apparatus, such as ahospital bed.

[0003] The present invention comprises one or more of the followingfeatures or characteristics or combinations thereof.

[0004] A patient support apparatus such as a stretcher or mobilehospital bed is provided for transporting a patient throughout ahospital or other such facility. Such supports typically have a framewith opposite sides, opposite ends, and four corners. Typically, acaster is coupled to each of the four corners. Each caster typically hasa caster wheel. To make steering of the patient support easier, asteering wheel is provided centrally located relative to the frame. Thissteering wheel is carried by a wheel support assembly coupled to theframe and configured to support the steering wheel for movement betweena raised position and a lowered position in which the steering wheelengages a floor. For safety reasons, a brake is coupled to at least oneof the four casters to engage its caster wheel.

[0005] A brake actuator is provided for use by the caregiver in settingthe brake. The brake actuator is movable relative to the frame between abraking position wherein the brake is caused to engage a wheel on acaster and a non-braking position wherein the brake is disengaged fromthe caster wheel. This brake actuator may be coupled to two of thecorners of the frame, and illustratively to two of the end corners ofthe frame to extend across either the head end of the frame or the footend of the frame. This brake actuator will illustratively have adimension substantially equal to the width of the frame. In some cases,a gear drive may be coupled between the brake actuator and the brakewith the gear drive configured to multiply the movement of the brakewhen the brake actuator is actuated.

[0006] Thus, a brake actuator or brake actuating means coupled to one ofthe longitudinal ends of the frame is provided. Illustratively, theactuating means may be coupled to the frame such that the length of theactuating means is disposed substantially orthogonal to the framelongitudinal axis.

[0007] This actuating means may further control the movement of thesteering wheel between its raised and lowered positions as well as theactuation of the brake. In such an embodiment, the brake actuator orbrake actuating means illustratively operates the steering wheel via alink that moves along a line substantially parallel to the longitudinalaxis of the stretcher.

[0008] Additional features of the invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detaileddescription of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode ofcarrying out the invention as presently perceived.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanyingfigures in which:

[0010]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stretcher having an upper frameand a lower frame covered by a shroud;

[0011]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a stretcher having the upper frameand shroud removed allowing the lower frame to be more easily viewed;

[0012]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a central portion of the lowerframe, showing the operation of and linkage between the side actuatorpedals and the fifth wheel;

[0013]FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, showing abrake-actuating bar being depressed at the foot end of the stretcher andshowing one side actuator pedal on each side of the stretcher in thelowered position;

[0014]FIG. 5 is a side view of a caster wheel, showing the actuation ofthe brake resulting from pivoting of a shaft passing through the caster;

[0015]FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIGS. 2 and 4, showing thewheel-actuating bar being depressed at the head end of the stretcher andshowing the other side actuator pedal on each side of the stretcher inthe lowered position;

[0016]FIG. 7 is a side view of a central portion of the lower frame,showing the fifth wheel in its lowered position, engaging the floor;

[0017]FIG. 8 is a side view similar to that of FIG. 7, showing the fifthwheel being lifted from the floor;

[0018]FIG. 9 is a side view similar to that of FIGS. 7 and 8, showingthe fifth wheel in its raised position; and

[0019]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another embodiment of thedisclosure, showing a lever coupled to the caster and showing a geardrive joining the lever to the caster.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] A hospital stretcher 10 is shown in FIG. 1 as having an upperframe 12 for supporting a mattress 14 having an upwardly facing patientsupport surface 16. Stretcher 10 also includes a lower frame 18 coupledto the upper frame 12, lower frame 18 being substantially covered by ashroud 20. Stretcher 10 includes a head end 24 and a foot end 22. Asused in this description, the phrase “head end 24” will be used todenote any referred-to object that is positioned to lie nearest the headend 24 of stretcher 10, and the phrase “foot end 22” will be used todenote the end of any referred-to object that is positioned to lienearest the foot end 22 of the stretcher 10.

[0021] Illustratively, upper frame 12 is movably supported above lowerframe 18 by a lifting mechanism 26, shown in FIG. 1. Lifting mechanism26 illustratively includes a head end hydraulic cylinder 30 and a footend hydraulic cylinder 28, both of which are covered by flexible rubberboots 32.

[0022] Casters 34, 36, 38 and 40 are mounted to lower frame 18, one ateach corner, so that stretcher 10 can be rolled over a floor 42 acrosswhich a patient is being transported. Several foot pedals 44 arepivotally coupled to lower frame 18 and are coupled to the liftingmechanism 26 to control the vertical movement of head end 24 and footend 22 of the upper frame 12 relative to the lower frame 18. Lower frame18 has four corners. Stretchers of this type are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,348,326, 5,806,111, 5,987,671, 5,996,149, 6,000,076, 6,076,208,6,282,738, 6,330,926 and 6,446,283 and are incorporated herein byreference to establish the general nature of stretchers, lift mechanismsand the like. It will be appreciated, however, that the inventiondisclosed and claimed herein may be utilized on a patient support havingstructures other than illustrated herein.

[0023]FIG. 2 shows lower frame 18 exposed without upper frame 12 orshroud 20, so that the moving parts herein described can be betterviewed. Lower frame 18 illustratively has two longitudinal ends, thehead end 24 and the foot end 22. As shown in FIGS. 2-4 and 6-9, theillustrative embodiment includes a fifth wheel 46, which may also bereferred to as a steering wheel. Fifth wheel 46 is movable between araised position, shown in FIG. 9, and a lowered position, shown in FIG.7. Fifth wheel 46 engages floor 42 when in its lowered position, as canbe seen in FIG. 7. The floor-engaging fifth wheel 46 facilitatessteering of stretcher 10 when the fifth wheel 46 is in the loweredposition, as shown in FIG. 4. However, when it is desired to movestretcher 10 in a sideways direction, fifth wheel 46 is desirably movedinto the raised position, shown in FIG. 9, so that casters 34, 36, 38and 40 can pivot about their axes and allow stretcher 10 to movesideways.

[0024] The illustrative fifth wheel 46 is actuated between the raisedposition and the lowered position by side actuator pedals 48, 50 and bya brake actuator or brake-actuating bar 52 and wheel-actuating bar 54.Brake-actuating bar 52 is coupled to two corners at the longitudinalfoot end 22 of stretcher 10, and wheel-actuating bar 54 is coupled totwo corners at the longitudinal head end 24 of stretcher 10.Illustratively, side actuator pedals 48 cause fifth wheel 46 to engagefloor 42 when actuator pedals 48 are moved downwardly by a care giver,as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. In the neutral position, wherein the sideactuator pedals 48 and 50 are in alignment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,fifth wheel 46 is positioned in the raised position, wherein fifth wheel46 is not engaging floor 42, as can be seen in FIG. 9. The intermediateposition, as fifth wheel 46 is moved between the raised position and thelowered position, or vice versa, can be seen in FIG. 8.

[0025] Illustratively, side actuator pedals 48 and 50 are linked to eachother such that downward movement of one of the actuator pedals 48causes actuator pedals 50 to move upward, as can be seen in FIG. 6.Also, downward movement of one side actuator pedal 48 causes the otherside actuator pedal 48 to move downward as well. Pedals 50 are linked inan identical manner such that pedals 50 move either upward or downwardtogether. Such coordinated linkage between the side actuator pedals 48,50 is described in more detail herein below.

[0026] Side actuator pedals 48, 50 are also linked to brake-actuatingbar 52 and wheel-actuating bar 54. Illustratively, as side actuatorpedals 48 are moved downwardly, wheel-actuating bar 54 is caused to movedownwardly. Likewise, if wheel-actuating bar 54 is moved downwardly by acare taker, side actuator pedals 48 will move downwardly via a mannerdescribed in more detail below.

[0027] In the same manner, when side actuator pedals 50 are moveddownwardly, brake-actuating bar 52 moves downwardly, and side actuatorpedals 48 and wheel-actuating bar 54 move upwardly. In the neutralposition shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, brake-actuating bar 52 andwheel-actuating bar 54 extend outwardly from lower frame 18substantially parallel to floor 42.

[0028] When brake-actuating bar 52 or side actuator pedals 50 are urgeddownwardly by a care taker into a position shown in FIG. 4, a brake orbrake mechanism 56 in at least one of the casters 34, 36, 38, 40 iscaused to actuate, as can be seen in FIG. 5. Illustratively,brake-actuating bar 52 includes a step portion 63 disposed between twoconnecting portions 65, as can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 4. Connectingportions 65 connect brake-actuating bar 52 to an outside edge of eachcorner of lower frame 18. Wheel-actuating bar 54 is constructed in asimilar fashion.

[0029] Illustratively, brake mechanism 56 comprises a pin configured tomove in the direction indicated by arrow 57 toward the rubberizedperiphery 58 of the caster wheel 60. Caster 36 is illustratively shownin FIG. 5, however, it should be understood that other casters 34, 38,and 40 can be similarly constructed.

[0030] When wheel-actuating bar 54 is urged downwardly from the positionshown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIGS. 2-3 (the neutralposition), side actuator pedals 48 are urged into the neutral position,and brake mechanism 56 is then released from its engagement with thecaster wheel periphery 58.

[0031] Illustratively, brake mechanism 56 functions in the followingmanner. Caster wheels 34, 36, 38 40 are commercially available as modelnumber 2446sxp200r36-32, and manufactured by Tente Casters, Inc., 2266South Park Drive, Heborn, Ky. 41048. Such a caster illustrativelyincludes brake mechanism 56 as part of the unit. Such a caster alsoincludes a wheel 60 having a rubberized periphery 58. As can be seen inFIG. 5, when actuated, brake mechanism 56 moves downwardly inside casterframe 61 to engage rubberized periphery 58 of wheel 60, thereby causingwheel 60 to be held in place.

[0032] Brake mechanism 56 is operated in the following manner. Asbrake-actuating bar 52 or side actuator pedals 50 are urged downwardlyby a care giver, brake-actuating bar 52 pivots about shaft 62, causing ahex portion 64 of shaft 62 (visible in FIG. 5) to move brake mechanism56 downwardly in a direction indicated by arrow 57. Shaft 62 isillustratively a hex rod, although other configurations are within thescope of the disclosure. Such actuation of brake mechanism 56 isillustratively synchronized between all four casters 34, 36, 38, 40,although it is contemplated that less than four casters can be engagedby a brake mechanism 56, and still result in stretcher 10 being lockedin place.

[0033] When wheel-actuating bar 54 is depressed by a care giver, brakemechanisms 56 are released from their braking position, and aswheel-actuating bar 54 is further depressed, fifth wheel 46 is movedinto engagement with floor 42, as shown in FIGS. 6-7. Such movement offifth wheel 46 is illustratively described below. Wheel-actuating bar 54is fixedly connected to shaft 68, and brake-actuating bar 52 is fixedlyconnected to shaft 62. Shaft 62 and shaft 68 are journaled for rotationabout their respective axes 90, 92. Illustratively, ends of shaft 62 aresupported by foot end 22 corners of lower frame 18 and tips 91, 93 ofshaft 62 extend beyond the perimeter of the corners such thatbrake-actuating bar 52 attaches adjacent shaft tips 91, 93. Similarly,ends of shaft 68 are supported by head end 24 corners of lower frame 18and tips 95, 97 of shaft 68 extend beyond the perimeter of the cornerssuch that wheel actuating bar 54 attaches adjacent shaft tips 95, 97.

[0034] Movement of wheel-actuating bar 54 causes shaft 68 to rotateabout its axis 92, just as actuation of brake-actuating bar 52 causesshaft 62 to rotate about its axis 90. Shaft 68 is fixedly coupled toshoulders 70, 72, which are in turn pivotably coupled to ends of arms74, 76, respectively. Likewise, shaft 62 is fixedly coupled to shoulders78, 80, which are pivotably coupled to ends of arms 82, 84,respectively. Shoulders 70, 72, 78, 80 are illustratively L-shaped andformed of metal, although other constructions are within the scope ofthe disclosure.

[0035] Shoulders 70, 72, 78 and 80 are pivotably coupled to therespective arms 74, 76, 82, 84 via pins 86, as can be seen in FIG. 4.Arm 74 is also coupled to arm 82, and arm 76 is coupled to arm 84 viapins 85 near the central portion of lower frame 18, as can be seen inthe enlarged view shown in FIG. 3. Such a construction provides forshaft 62 to move in conjunction with shaft 68, and likewisebrake-actuating bar 52 to move in conjunction with wheel-actuating bar54 and side actuator pedals 48, 50.

[0036] Illustratively, when brake-actuating bar 52 is moved downwardlyin direction 87, as shown in FIG. 4, shaft 62 pivots counterclockwise inthe direction shown by arrow 88 about axis 90 (see also FIG. 5). Therotation about axis 90 causes shoulders 78, 80 to also rotate about axis90, thereby moving connected arms 82, 84 toward head end 24. Becausearms 82, 84 are linked to arms 74, 76, the longitudinal movement fromarms 82, 84 results in movement of shoulders 70, 72 at head end 24.Shoulders 70, 72 are caused to pivot counterclockwise about axis 92 inthe direction indicated by arrow 94, as can be seen in FIG. 4. Thismovement results in shaft 68 also rotating in direction 94 about axis92.

[0037] Movement of side actuator pedals 48, 50 is coordinated withmovement of brake-actuating bar 52 and wheel-actuating bar 54 in thefollowing manner. At the point where arms 82 and 74 meet, a T-shapedbell crank 96 connects arms 74, 82 to pedals 48, 50. Likewise, at thepoint where arms 84 and 76 meet, a second T-shaped bell crank 98connects the arms 76, 84 to pedals 48, 50, as can be seen in FIGS. 3 and7-9.

[0038] As can be viewed in FIG. 3, each pedal 48, 50 is connected tobell crank 98 via a link 100. Links 100 illustratively use a ball andstud type of interface with bell cranks 96, 98. Pedals 48, 50 pivotabout pins 102 having a longitudinal axis, which are mounted under sideframe member 104 of lower frame 18. As one of pedals 48 is urgeddownwardly by a care giver to the position shown in FIGS. 6-7, bellcranks 96, 98 are caused to pivot counterclockwise (as viewed from FIG.7) about shaft 106 by forces delivered through links 100. Pivotingmovement causes fifth wheel 46 to move downwardly toward floor 42, suchmovement being described in more detail herein.

[0039] Bell cranks 96, 98 are fixedly connected to each other via shaft106 such that pivoting movement of one bell crank 96 or 98 causes theother to pivot about the axis of shaft 106 in the same direction.However, it should be understood that pivoting movement of one bellcrank 96, 98 is also transferred to the other bell crank via arms 74,76, 82, 84, shoulders 70, 72, 78, 80, and shafts 62, 68.

[0040] Illustratively, when pedal 48 moves downwardly with the pivotingof bell crank 96 about shaft 106, pedal 50 moves upwardly to theposition shown in FIG. 7. Similarly, and simultaneously, the other pedal48 moves downwardly, bell crank 98 pivots about the axis of the shaft106, and the other pedal 50 moves upwardly, as can be seen in FIG. 6.Because of the linkage of bell cranks 96, 98 to shafts 62, 68,brake-actuating bar 52 is also caused to move upwardly andwheel-actuating bar 54 is caused to move downwardly, as can be seen inFIG. 6.

[0041] In a similar fashion, when pedal 50 is urged downwardly (or, inthe alternative, brake-actuating bar 52 is urged downwardly), bellcranks 96, 98 cause pedals 48 to move upwardly to the position shown inFIG. 4. Such movement causes fifth wheel 46 to move to its raisedposition, shown in FIG. 9. Also, if pedal 50 or brake-actuating bar 52is moved beyond its neutral position (shown in FIGS. 2-3), to thebrake-actuating position (shown in FIGS. 4-5), brake mechanism 56 iscaused to move toward engagement of rubberized periphery 58 of wheel 60,as is described above.

[0042] Fifth wheel 46 is moved between its lowered and raised positionsin the following manner. Illustratively, as can be seen in FIGS. 7-9,fifth wheel 46 pivots about the axis of shaft 108 (visible inperspective in FIG. 3), which is mounted to lower frame 18 of thestretcher 10. In the lowered position, shown in FIG. 7, upper portion110 of bell crank 96 has been moved in the counterclockwise directionindicated by arrow 112. Simultaneously with the movement of upperportion 110, radially extending arm 114, which extends from a centralportion of shaft 106 in a direction radially opposite that of upperportion 110 of bell crank 96, moves counterclockwise such that itsdistal end 115 moves toward head end 24 of stretcher 10. Such movementcauses link 116 to also move toward head end 24, and thereby cause pivotarm 118 to pivot about pin 120. Illustratively, link 116 is rigid andpivots relative to arm 114 at one end, and pivots relative to pivot arm118 at the other end. Pivot arm 118 is pivotably coupled to link 116 atone end, and pivotably coupled to wheel arm 122 at the other end.Illustratively, pivot arm 118 is angled and pivots about pin 120 at theangle.

[0043] Swing arm 124 supports pin 120 and pivot arm 118 pivots about theaxis defined by pin 120. Swing arm 124 pivots between a substantiallyvertical position, shown in FIG. 7, and an angled position, shown inFIG. 9. When arm 114 moves, the combination of link 116, swing arm 124,and pivot arm 118 causes the substantially longitudinal movement ofdistal end 115 of arm 114 to be converted to substantially downwardmovement by pivot arm 118, thereby causing wheel arm 122 to pivot aboutshaft 108 and move fifth wheel 46 into engagement with floor 42.

[0044] In order to disengage fifth wheel 46 from floor 42, a care givermust depress either one of side actuator pedals 50 or brake-actuatingbar 52. As either a side actuator pedal 50 or the brake-actuating bar 52is urged downwardly, radially extending arm 114 pivots clockwise (asviewed from FIG. 7) with shaft 106, thereby moving link 116 in asubstantially longitudinal direction toward foot end 22. Link 116 causespivot arm 118 to pivot about pin 120, and thereby urge wheel arm 122away from floor 42 to the intermediate position shown in FIG. 8. In theintermediate position, fifth wheel 46 is illustratively spacedapproximately ½ inch from floor 42.

[0045] As brake-actuating bar 52 or side actuator pedal 50 is furtherdepressed by a care giver to its lowered position shown in FIG. 4,radially extending arm 114 continues to pivot clockwise about shaft 106to a position shown in FIG. 9. In such a position, brake mechanism 56engages the rubberized periphery 58 of a wheel 60, as described above,and fifth wheel 46 is retained in its raised position. In the raisedposition, fifth wheel 46 is illustratively spaced approximately twoinches from floor 42.

[0046] The positioning of pedals 48, 50 on the sides of stretcher 10permits a care giver to operate both the brake mechanism(s) 56 and thefifth wheel 46 of the stretcher 10 while being located on the side ofthe patient. Also, by positioning wheel-actuating bar 54 at the head end24 of the stretcher 10, a care giver pushing stretcher 10 from the headend (which is common in medical practices because the care giver is thenadjacent the patient's head) can easily engage the fifth wheel 46, andthereby more easily steer the stretcher 10 while pushing the patient.

[0047] When the patient has reached the destination, a care giver willtypically position the patient such that the head end 24 of thestretcher is aligned with a wall of the hospital room, and then applythe brake mechanism 56 to maintain the stretcher 10 in that position.The application of the brake mechanism 56 is facilitated by positioningbrake-actuating bar 52 at the foot end 22 of the stretcher 10.

[0048] It is within the scope of the disclosure to substitute levers forbrake-actuating bar 52 and wheel-actuating bar 54 as suggested in FIG.10. For example, a lever assembly 130 having a foot pad 132, 134 at eachend can be used to operate brake mechanism 56 and fifth wheel 46, asdisclosed above. Lever assembly 130 is also illustratively connected toshaft 62 via gears 136, 138. Gears 136, 138 are illustrativelyconfigured to reduce the necessary movement of lever assembly 130 by ahalf (i.e. a 2:1 gear ratio). Therefore, by depressing foot pad (brakeactuator) 134 in the direction shown by arrow 140, brake mechanism (notshown) will move twice as fast in the direction indicated by arrow 142toward engagement with rubberized periphery 58. Lever assemblies 130 areillustratively positioned at each corner of lower frame 18, however,other configurations are within the scope of the disclosure. Forexample, lever assemblies 130 could be placed at opposite corners.

[0049] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific exemplary embodiments thereof have beenshown by way of example in the drawings and have herein been describedin detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent tolimit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on thecontrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, andalternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure asdefined by the appended claims.

[0050] There is a plurality of advantages of the present inventionarising from the various features of the stretcher brake/steer mechanismdescribed herein. It will be noted that alternative embodiments of thestretcher brake/steer mechanism of the present invention may not includeall of the features described yet still benefit from at least some ofthe advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in the art mayreadily devise their own implementations of a stretcher brake/steermechanism that incorporate one or more of the features of the presentinvention and fall within the spirit and scope of the present inventionas defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A patient support apparatus for transporting apatient along a floor, the apparatus comprising: a frame having fourcorners, a caster coupled to each of the four corners movably to supportthe apparatus, each caster having a caster wheel, a steering wheelcentrally located relative to the frame, a steering wheel supportassembly coupled to the frame and configured to support the steeringwheel for movement between a raised position and a lowered position inwhich the steering wheel engages the floor, a brake coupled to at leastone of the four casters to engage its caster wheel, and a brake actuatorcoupled to two of the corners of the frame, the brake actuator beingmovable relative to the frame between a braking position wherein thebrake is caused to engage a wheel on a caster, and a non-brakingposition wherein the brake is disengaged from the caster wheel.
 2. Thepatient support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame defines alongitudinal axis and two longitudinal ends with two of the corners ateach end, and the brake actuator is configured to extend outwardly fromthe corners of one of the longitudinal ends of the frame such that itcan be actuated by a caretaker standing at the longitudinal end.
 3. Thepatient support apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a side actuatorpedal pivotable about an axis parallel with the frame longitudinal axis4. The patient support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the brake actuatoris pivotably coupled to the two corners of the frame.
 5. The patientsupport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the brake actuator is a railhaving a step portion disposed between two connecting portions, eachconnecting portion coupled to a corner.
 6. The patient support apparatusof claim 5, wherein the frame has a longitudinal end and the stepportion of the rail substantially defines a line that extends parallelto the longitudinal end.
 7. The patient support apparatus of claim 6,wherein the step portion is spaced away from the longitudinal end of theframe.
 8. The patient support apparatus of claim 1, wherein an axleextends through the two corners to which the brake actuator is coupled.9. The patient support apparatus of claim 8, wherein the two cornersdefine an outer perimeter and the axle extends beyond the perimeter. 10.The patient support apparatus of claim 8, wherein the brake actuator ismounted on the axle.
 11. The patient support apparatus of claim 8,wherein the frame defines a longitudinal axis and the axle is orientedsubstantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis.
 12. The patientsupport apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a link coupling thesteering wheel support assembly to the axle.
 13. The patient supportapparatus of claim 12, wherein rotational movement of the axle causesthe link to move the steering wheel between the raised and loweredpositions.
 14. The patient support apparatus of claim 12, wherein thelink is disposed substantially orthogonally to the axle.
 15. The patientsupport apparatus of claim 12, comprising at least one side pedal,wherein the link is further coupled to the side pedal, the side pedalpivoting about an axis transverse to the axis defined by the axle. 16.The patient support apparatus of claim 15, wherein the link causes theside pedal to move in conjunction with movement of the brake actuator.17. The patient support apparatus of claim 8, wherein rotationalmovement of the axle controls the engagement and disengagement of thebrake against the caster wheel.
 18. The patient support apparatus ofclaim 17, comprising a gear drive coupled between the axle and the braketo transmit rotational movement of the axle into shifting movement ofthe brake.
 19. A patient support apparatus comprising: a frame having alength and a width and supported by casters having wheels, a brakecoupled to at least one of the casters, and a brake actuator coupled tothe frame, the brake actuator being configured to move the brake toengage at least one of the caster wheels, the brake actuator having adimension substantially equal to the width of the frame.
 20. The patientsupport apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a steering wheel and asteering wheel support assembly coupled to the frame and configured tosupport the steering wheel for movement between a raised position and alowered position in which the steering wheel engages the floor.
 21. Thepatient support apparatus of claim 19, wherein the brake actuator isconfigured to extend outwardly from two corners of the frame such thatit can be actuated by a caretaker standing at one end.
 22. The patientsupport apparatus of claim 19, wherein the brake actuator is pivotablycoupled to two corners of the frame.
 23. The patient support apparatusof claim 22, wherein the brake actuator is a rail having a step portiondisposed between two connecting portions, each connecting portion beingcoupled to one of the two corners.
 24. The patient support apparatus ofclaim 23, wherein the frame has a longitudinal end and the step portionof the rail substantially defines a line that extends parallel to thelongitudinal end.
 25. The patient support apparatus of claim 23, whereinthe step portion is spaced away from the longitudinal end of the frame.26. The patient support apparatus of claim 22, wherein the brakeactuator pivots about an axle that extends through the two corners towhich the brake actuator is coupled.
 27. The patient support apparatusof claim 19, further comprising a side actuator pedal pivotable about anaxis disposed parallel to the length of the frame.
 28. A patient supportapparatus for transporting a patient along a floor, the apparatuscomprising: a frame having a longitudinal axis and two longitudinalends, a plurality of casters mounted to the frame for engagement withthe floor, a steering wheel, a steering wheel support assembly coupledto the frame and configured to support the steering wheel for movementbetween a raised position and a lowered position in which the steeringwheel engages the floor, a brake coupled to at least one of the casters,and means for actuating the brake, the actuating means having a lengthand a width and being coupled to one of the longitudinal ends of theframe such that the length of the actuating means is disposedsubstantially orthogonally to the frame longitudinal axis.
 29. Thepatient support apparatus of claim 28, wherein the actuating meansfurther controls the movement of the steering wheel between the raisedand lowered positions.
 30. The patient support apparatus of claim 29,wherein a link is disposed between the actuating means and the steeringwheel support assembly, the link being configured to move along a linesubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.
 31. The patient supportapparatus of claim 28, wherein the actuating means is a lever pivotableabout an axis that is orthogonal to the frame longitudinal axis.
 32. Thepatient support apparatus of claim 31, wherein the actuating means isdisposed vertically above a horizontal plane defined by the axis in afirst position, and the actuating means is disposed vertically below thehorizontal plane in a second position.
 33. The patient support apparatusof claim 28, further comprising a gear drive coupled to the brakeactuating means, the gear drive multiplying the movement of the brakewhen the brake actuating means is actuated.
 34. A patient supportapparatus for transporting a patient along a floor, the apparatuscomprising: a frame, a plurality of casters mounted to the frame forengagement with the floor, a brake coupled to at least one of thecasters, a brake actuator coupled to the brake for moving the brakebetween a braking position and a non-braking position, and an axlefixedly connected to the brake actuator and coupled to two of thecasters, the brake actuator being configured to cause the axle to pivotabout its axis.
 35. A patient support apparatus for transporting apatient along a floor, the apparatus comprising: a frame having a lengthand a width, a plurality of casters mounted to the frame for engagementwith the floor, a brake coupled to at least one of the casters, a brakepedal coupled to the brake for moving the brake between a brakingposition and a non-braking position, the brake pedal pivoting about anaxis that is parallel with the length of the frame.